At its May 1, 2012 meeting, the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners directed the County Manager to report back by June 19 on the estimated cost and other logistical challenges involved in conducting the next property revaluation in either 2014 and 2015. Cary Saul, Director of the County’s Land Use and Environmentasl Services Agency, briefed the Board of County Commissioners Tuesday night on the positives and negatives of conducting a revaluation in the next few years.

The Assessor’s review indicates four challenges in conducting a revaluation in 2014 or 2015:

Staffing and other resources available – Based on the need for staff to participate in and support the current appeals process, current staffing levels cannot implement a revaluation in 2014 or 2015.

Cost – Considering the challenge associated with the availability of existing resources, strong consideration should be given to outsourcing a revaluation in 2014 or 2015. Informal estimates provided by private companies indicate that it would cost between $8 and $10 million.

Inconsistent with revaluation purpose and standards – Although conducting a revaluation in 2014 or 2015 may result in changes to some assessed values based on changes in the market, there is little to no evidence that the revaluation will increase equity.

Unrealistic expectations creating additional public anger and distrust – It is highly likely that property owners would be further frustrated, confused, and angry about the revaluation outcome, exacerbating distrust and its associated outcry. It would result in a costly effort that achieves very little in terms of desired results about equity, affordability and public confidence.